The present invention relates to a tennis ball delivery device and, more particularly, to a low cost, readily producible and easily portable device for picking up and holding a supply of tennis balls that, upon actuation by a player, will deliver a ball to the player for practicing his or her tennis stroke. While a wide variety of practice devices are presently available to tennis players for developing their strokes, they typically comprise devices that drive or shoot a ball over the net toward the player who then returns the ball using a backhand or forehand stroke. The proper tennis strokes and footwork are developed through repetitive practice. Such practice devices are relatively large and heavy and hence not easily portable which limits their use. They also require electricity and are relatively expensive, particularly for children in poor families and for people in general in less affluent countries who wish to learn the game of tennis. Because of the size and weight of such devices, they also are not easily used for practice by children and older players without assistance. Without a ball delivery device, a player or prospective player can only practice his or her strokes with a coach, which is very expensive, by hitting a ball against a wall, which generally does not provide repetitive practice of the same stroke, particularly for a novice, or by repetitively dropping a ball on the same spot and at the same height. By having to drop the ball and then turn and strike the ball, the player cannot focus on the proper body position prior to and during the stroke. Also, learning through repetition is impaired because the player has to continually leave his or her position to retrieve another ball. As a result, the rhythm of repetitive practice is lost.
It therefore would be desirable to provide a device that enabled one to practice his or her tennis stroke without the aid of another person, that obviated the need to repetitively retrieve balls, that was of simple construction so as to be economical to manufacture, and that was light in weight and easily portable. Such a device should also be capable of delivering the ball to the player at predetermined variable heights to accommodate differently sized players and to enable the players to practice different strokes. Such a device would not only be beneficial to all players but be affordable by a large group of potential tennis players who cannot afford the ball delivery devices currently in use. Such a device also could be used by persons unable to physically transport and set up the tennis delivery ball devices currently available. The present invention provides such a device.